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  <title>Chapter 22</title>
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            <h1 class="title">Chapter 22</h1>
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          <h2 class="subtitle">Marcus</h2>
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      <p class="first first-in-chapter first-full-width"><span class="first-letter first-letter-m">M</span>arcus cursed Nikhil for the millionth time, sure his brutal master must have known how this particular assignment would torture him. But there was no way his <i>Sayid</i> could have predicted the identities of the pair of men Belah would find. No way he could know that the fate of the woman Marcus loved now hung in the balance as surely as Belah hung suspended from the ropes in the center of Iszak and Lukas’s living room.</p>
      <p class="subsq">The sight should have been lewd and filthy—perhaps might have been to any outside observer—but thanks to the powers Marcus had been imbued with, he could read each bright emotion that wrapped itself around the trio. And as much as he rejoiced on behalf of his old friends finding the love of their life, he ached to have the freedom to experience what they felt in that moment. He ached to hold Evie in his arms like that just one more time.</p>
      <p class="subsq">If he did well tonight, perhaps he’d be given that chance, though the thought of destroying the beauty of the love that bloomed before him left a bitter taste in his mouth.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He had obeyed Nikhil’s command to follow Belah after their meeting in the park, in the very spot where Marcus had first set eyes on Evie North. He’d found Belah later that same night in a jazz club, but the second he’d stepped into the place, he’d been bombarded by memories.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Evie’s brother, Lukas, sat on stage, and the old shame Marcus had learned to live with for the last five decades came flooding back as though it were only yesterday. It was bad enough that he’d dodged the draft and fled to Canada, but to drag her with him, and into the clutches of a man who was the mortal enemy to her kind? He would never forgive himself for that.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He had to ignore the urge to reveal himself to the brothers—tell them the truth. That their sister lived. He couldn’t risk Nikhil finding out, and the man surely would if Marcus went that far. He refused to risk Evie’s life so recklessly. He had to hope that the Hail Mary of a chance he’d taken two years earlier would come to fruition—that somehow the Dragon Council had received the secret message he’d sent and would come to his aid.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Now that he knew they had—that the Void himself was looking for Evie at this very moment—it was all Marcus could do just to stay put, to continue carrying out Nikhil’s commands when all he wanted to do was go to her. Bust down the door to the cell that held his lover and be with her just once more before her true mate came and carried her away.</p>
      <p class="subsq">For the past few hours, he’d been at war with himself. He was on the verge of losing Evie, yet in the best way possible. She would be rescued, and he would be left behind to carry out his master’s wishes. Why should he do anything else? He’d have nothing without Evie—no reason to live, but no way to die, not unless Nikhil took mercy on him and put him out of his misery. He’d had enough close calls with dragons over the years to understand how indestructible he and his fellow Ultiori Elites were.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He longed to be with her now, yet had to see this assignment through and just hope he would have one more chance to see her before she was safe in the arms of the dragon who claimed she belonged to him.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Focusing again on the North brothers and the female between them, he simply watched. When they first began binding her, he’d been alarmed and considered betraying his presence to rescue her. His master wouldn’t want her to come to him damaged, after all. But his only frame of reference for a bound female was from the day he’d learned how grave a mistake he’d made, trusting Evie’s life to the Alexandria Institute. They’d both been bound and drugged, then separated. When Marcus had awakened, he’d been forever altered, and effectively a slave to his captor. He possessed power he’d never dreamed of, but was tethered to a man he hated, a man who held Evie’s welfare over his head like a sword of Damocles.</p>
      <p class="subsq">But Belah had encouraged the binding and clearly enjoyed it now, and Marcus finally understood why his master craved this woman so much. Nikhil’s particular preferences were no secret to his followers, least of all his Elites. Marcus, Naaz, and Sterlyn often had the unpleasant privilege of bearing witness to their master’s predilections. His gut churned at the unsavory memories he had of what all Nikhil’s female victims endured.</p>
      <p class="subsq">This Blue dragon had been the beginning. The first woman to encourage such things in the man. And yet the scene that unfolded before him didn’t reflect the horrors he had forced himself to become numb to.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Lukas and Iszak were tender lovers, despite Belah’s bound state. After what Marcus agreed was a very necessary round of atonement that Belah endured like a trooper, their behavior shifted drastically.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Especially after she revealed the truth of their sister’s life and her brother’s search.</p>
      <p class="subsq">They wanted nothing but to please her, and despite Marcus’s belief that this woman had somehow been behind the corruption of his master, his powers let him see her through the eyes of his old friends.</p>
      <p class="subsq">After first meeting Evie, Iszak and Lukas had become like brothers to Marcus. Having no family of his own anymore, they were all he had.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Their love for Belah shone so bright, Marcus grew increasingly conflicted over what he knew his master had planned. And yet he was helpless to do anything but obey.</p>
      <p class="subsq">The sharp tug on his consciousness constricted like a collar bound too tight, a reminder of his utter lack of freedom. He closed his eyes, abruptly slamming shut the door to his secret thoughts. The brief suspicion Nikhil displayed at least confirmed that Marcus still had something all his own.</p>
      <p class="subsq"><i>“Sayid, I am here,”</i> he sent immediately, having learned long ago to mentally stand at attention when even the barest hint of Nikhil’s presence marched into his mind.</p>
      <p class="subsq"><i>“Report.”</i></p>
      <p class="subsq"><i>“She is with a pair of lovers now, replenishing her energy.”</i> He carefully omitted from his thoughts the truth of what he observed, choosing instead to imply that she was merely behaving as any hungry dragon might.</p>
      <p class="subsq"><i>“Show me,”</i> Nikhil demanded. Before Marcus could respond, his consciousness took a back seat while the other man’s eyes took over, unceremoniously shoving Marcus aside. Marcus was scarcely able to clear his mind of the many impressions he’d had of the scene before him, just barely managing complete neutrality before Nikhil commandeered his sight.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Extreme displeasure twisted Marcus’s gut—a reflection of what his master experienced at the sight of his long-lost lover in the arms of two other men.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Just as abruptly, Nikhil was gone, leaving Marcus dizzy and stumbling. Losing his balance, he fell backward into a tall bookshelf, making it rock precariously. He watched in horror as a piece of pottery wobbled on one of the high shelves and began to teeter over the edge, just out of reach.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He lunged for the object, caught it, and sagged in relief, but it was short-lived. A deafening crash came from farther away and he jerked around to see a pair of naked bodies fly through the air in opposite directions.</p>
      <p class="subsq">His master had arrived, and he wasn’t happy.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus groaned inwardly and shed the magic that had kept him hidden from sight and awareness. As he approached the unconscious body of Iszak North, Sterlyn looked up from where he was busy binding Lukas to one of the sturdy, steel support posts nearby.</p>
      <p class="subsq">They shared a grim look before Marcus followed suit, grabbing a few of the many spare ropes Iszak had left strewn around the room and began tying the unconscious, naked man to another post.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Nikhil stood in front of Belah, staring down at her bound, naked flesh. Waves of lust flowed from him, enhanced by his rage. The combination was a potent mix, infecting Marcus until he realized Iszak’s wrists were bleeding from the force of the ropes cutting into his skin.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He cursed and loosened the bindings, retying them more carefully and silently asking Iszak to forgive him.</p>
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